Algorithmic Drill Plan Optimization for Mineral Exploration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional exploratory drilling methods for mineral resource deposits are inefficient and costly, as they rely on manual analysis for drill hole placement and orientation, often failing to identify optimized solutions and requiring extensive drilling, especially in hard-to-access areas.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that define target volumes in 3D space, segment them into sub-volumes with assigned desirability attributes, and use algorithmic solvers to iteratively generate and improve drill plans, optimizing drill hole distribution while adhering to operational constraints such as budget, accessibility, and geological features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual analysis and selection of drill hole placement is used, then exploratory drilling can be performed, but the process is time consuming and does not identify optimized solutions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical analysis with a computer-based optimization system that uses mathematical algorithms to automatically determine optimal drill hole locations, orientations, and spacing, thereby eliminating time-consuming manual processes while improving drilling efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the approach from qualitative manual judgment to quantitative optimization by defining objective functions and constraints based on geological data, drill hole costs, and sampling requirements, allowing the system to automatically optimize drill hole parameters
2Reliability
If extensive exploratory drill holes are used to sample target volumes, then mineral resource deposits can be identified and characterized, but the cost and time required increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The optimization system determines the minimum necessary number and distribution of drill holes required to achieve reliable mineral resource characterization, avoiding excessive drilling by precisely calculating optimal sampling density based on geological variability and economic constraints
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary optimization analysis using available geological data before drilling begins, pre-determining optimal drill hole locations and orientations to maximize information gain while minimizing the number of holes required
3Reliability
If drill holes are placed in hard-to-access areas to sample the complete target volume, then comprehensive mineral resource assessment is achieved, but drilling becomes costly and time consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The optimization system applies different drilling strategies to different regions of the target volume, concentrating drill holes in areas of high mineral potential and accessibility while reducing or eliminating drilling in low-priority or hard-to-access areas, thereby achieving cost-effective comprehensive assessment
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for improving mineral resource exploration and resource classification efficiency are provided herein. The generation and iterative, dynamic improvement of drill plans for sampling a target volume using drill holes is described. Methods and systems for the development and optimization of drill plans are able to accommodate a wide variety of constraints and targets, providing drill plans which aim to minimize the amount of explorative drilling while substantially converting unclassified sub-volumes, and in particular high-desirability sub-volumes, of the target volume to a specified or desired level while attempting to maximize targeted resource conversion efficiency. Resulting drill plans may provide a proposed collection of drill holes, defined in 3D space, penetrating the target volume which sufficiently sample a target volume while remaining within one or more specified constraints.